Trajectory of Psychotherapy In Africa

This paper examines trajectory of psychotherapy in Africa. It touches on the meaning of psychotherapy, types, as well as goals and relevance of psychotherapy. The key factors is with greater emphasis in psychotherapy where in Africa certain set-backs and challenges have been heavily represented with terrorism leading to posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) from kidnapping down to Boko-Harram and Fulani herdsmen violence that undermine security and national development. Sequel to this, economic recession and anxiety of the mass is another cancerous triggered to corruption which clinicians identify today as a major set-back in African socioeconomic and political development. Other issues facing the clinicians and students of psychotherapy with the service users are lack of keeping clinical records for data purposes, problems of referrals, poor accessibility to clinical resources and team relationships. The objective of this paper is to discuss in-depths these African issues and a way of advancing psychotherapy in Africa to a lofty heights. Proffering solutions could be identify through extensive training, entrepreneurship model, and also using continuation of professional development (CPD) to generate learning from the existing challenges in Africa through conferences, seminars and workshops. Unfortunately some clinicians in the society lack the zeal of pursuing CPD model of knowledge and experience as they find it difficult not only to engage with others but to come together and work as a team. Training is always a major reflection in working relationship in group practice to make relevance the dynamism required of psychotherapy. Importantly, using working groups formula (WDEP) that is focused in African way on client centred approach will serve as another panacea aimed at understanding clients (patients) in the group processes, while taken cognisance people’s real life situations, to guard against some risks that may jeopardize group in psychotherapy. It is therefore recommended that those practising psychotherapy in African setting should bear in mind the relevance of clinical practice as evidence based and good quality of care in the art of psychotherapy.

The study examined alleviating violence, traumatic experience and illicit drugs use using psychotherapeutic model: a case study of youth in Awka urban. A total number of two hundred and forty-one (241) youth in Awka urban; served as participant for the study. The study utilized non-probability (convenient sampling technique). Their age ranged from 18-32 years and their mean age was 23.20 with standard deviation of 4.07. Substance Craving Scale developed by Mazza (2004), Dating Violence Questionnaire-Reverse (DVQ-R) by Rodríguez-Franco et al., (2010) and Impact of Event Scale by Horowitz, Wilner and Ilvarez (1979) were employed for data generation. The study adopted correlational design and Pearson Product Moment Correction Coefficient as appropriate statistics for analyses of the data. Two hypotheses were tested. Thus, hypothesis one which states that violence will significantly correlate with illicit drug among youth in Awka Urban were partly accepted, because sexual and physical violence correlate with illicit drugs, while detachment, humiliation and coercion violence did not correlate with illicit drugs. Hypothesis two which states that trauma will significantly correlate with illicit drug among youth in Awka Urban was accepted. Based on the findings, study concludes by detailing recommendations and psychotherapeutic intervention model for the study.

The study was carried out to investigate the psychological defense mechanisms and the coping behavior of parents raising children with psychological developmental disorders. 190 parents of children under the age of 3 with psychological developmental disorders participated in the study. Developmental and psychomotor retardation levels in children was confirmed by the result of psycho diagnostic examination which made it possible to determine features of motor, speech, cognitive, socio- emotional spheres and every day adaptation. To investigate the defense mechanism of parents of children with developmental retardation, the following techniques where use: Psychological diagnostics of lifestyle index; Diagnostic methodology of coping behavior in stressful situations; Strategic diagnostics of impunity behavior in conflict situations. The analysis of the results showed that the most typical was the mechanism of psychological defense such as projection for all parents regardless of their children’s degree of mental retardation. A comparative analysis made it possible to establish that the parents of children with a high degree of mental retardation were significantly more inherent to use unconsciously such mechanisms of psychological protection like denial, displacement and reaction formation. Parents whose children have a high level of mental retardation were more likely to use coping behavior that reflects orientation towards avoidance

Abstract

This paper focuses on the failure of psychotherapy in private practice, classifying the lapses
in the practice resulting to the unimportance in the practice among Nigerian Clinical
Psychologist. It also defines the practical roles of the Psychologist in enhancement of the
practice. This paper relied on books and oral interviews as source of information in the
course of development. It argued that no time is late that psychotherapeutic practice can be
encouraged and sustained in Nigeria, outlining the steps in order to achieve this objectives.
This paper will provide valuable information regarding learning, knowledge and answer the
question which a lot of young Psychologist has been asking “is there a hope for us in this our
profession”. Hence the findings will be useful in policy making, therapeutic purposes and
bases for further research.

This paper explores the relationship between pornography and adolescents sexual activities. Adolescents due to lack of emotional quotient are usually predisposed to varieties of sexual disorder by watching pornography. This has health related implications for them, their parents and the society, hence the need for scientific enquiry targeted at its control.